AE-01 · Autonomous operations

MEDOS: Module for the Event Driven Operation of Spacecraft

A transparent decision framework that turns mission telemetry into meaningful events, confidence estimates, and bounded operational responses.

Status: Flight heritage
Delivery: Mission-configurable
Brief type: Aurora capability brief
Engagement: Available for partner missions

Concept diagram showing multiple sensor inputs combined into physical parameters and event classifications — Media 01 · Source one-pagerIllustrative event-recognition flow from mission measurements to operational context.

01 · Overview

A transferable mission capability

Move expert operational judgment closer to the instrument while preserving physical meaning, traceability, and operator control.

A transparent decision framework that turns mission telemetry into meaningful events, confidence estimates, and bounded operational responses.

Adaptable by design

Aurora can apply the same engineering pattern to a partner's mission, then tailor the models, data sources, software interfaces, verification evidence, and level of operational authority to the project.

02 · Mission need

Why this work matters

Missions can encounter consequential conditions faster than traditional ground analysis and commanding cycles can respond. Operators need a dependable way to combine multiple measurements, recognize mission-relevant context, and act within approved boundaries without turning the spacecraft into an opaque black box.

03 · Engineering approach

How Aurora structures the work

Each engagement begins with the mission decision and available evidence. The implementation is then sized to the client's architecture, assurance needs, schedule, and operating environment.

01
Define mission meaning
Aurora works with subject-matter experts to translate mission knowledge into understandable event concepts and decision boundaries.
02
Fuse trusted telemetry
Measurements from instruments and spacecraft systems are combined into physically meaningful indicators instead of isolated threshold crossings.
03
Evaluate context
The system considers the combined evidence for an event and reports confidence in a form that operators can inspect and tune.
04
Connect bounded responses
Detected events can inform alerts, science capture, protection, planning, or other responses selected for the client mission.

04 · Evidence and uses

What the capability establishes

Flight heritage on NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission.
Demonstrated real-time recognition of an environmental transition that differed from a ground prediction.
Explainable, expert-informed logic that can be adapted without requiring a large labeled training set.

Representative applications

Event-driven scienceInstrument protectionHealth and safety monitoringDistributed mission operations

05 · Work with Aurora

Bring the capability into your project

Aurora's scientists and engineers can support a focused analysis, prototype a mission concept, integrate production software, or work alongside an existing prime, university, laboratory, or government team.

01Mission concept and autonomy architecture

02Event model development

03Flight and ground software integration

04Verification with mission data

06 · Source media and resources

Approved public material

Flight result comparing a predicted environmental region with an event detected during a spacecraft pass — Media 02Representative flight heritage showing event recognition when observed conditions differed from a prediction.

Media 03Aurora Engineering

MEDOS product mark — Media 04MEDOS capability mark

Public resourceNASA technology highlight Public resourceNASA Technical Reports Server

Public language is intentionally broader than the underlying engineering one-pager. Detailed implementation discussions are available for qualified project teams.